Log-turning mechanism.



W. M. WILKIN.

LOG TURNING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7, 1911.

Patented June 11, 1912.

WILLIAM M. WILKIN, 0F ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

LOG-TURNING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patent-edJune11,1912.

Application filed June 7, 1911. Serial No. 631,804.

'"0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM M. \VILKIN, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Log-Turning Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to saw-mill machinery, and has for its object the provision of mechanism whereby logs may be rolled from the log-ways onto the saw-carriage, and also may be rolled over thereon, when desired. Mechanisms for this purpose are known in the saw millt-rade by the name of niggers, and when they are operated directly by means of steam cylinders are known as steam niggers.

The features of my invention are hereinafter set forth and explained and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a portion of a saw-mill frame showing my improved steam nigger mechanism partially in elevation and partially in sect-ion. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the nigger mechanism taken out of the saw-mill frame. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same.

In these drawings, A, A, and A indicate portions of a saw-mill frame. Upon the portion or timber, A thereof is placed the log-ways, A as usually constructed in saw-mills, and the track-rails, B, upon which the saw-carriage, B, is operated are placed thereon in front of said log-ways. Upon the base timber, A, I place an upright piston cylinder, C, having therein the usual piston, C and piston-rod, G which cylinder is provided with inlet and exhaust pipes, c, and 0, communicating through a suit-able valve mechanism, G with both ends thereof. To the upper end of the piston rod, 0'', I pivot the lower end of a tooth-bar, D, of the nigger mechanism, and provide suitable slides, D, for supporting the cross-head cl, on the upper end of the piston-rod, G which slides, D, are suitably secured to upright timbers, A, of the mill-frame. To support and guide the upper end of the tooth-bar, D, I provide, preferably, a curved bellcrank lever, E, which is U-shaped, or channel-shaped in cross section, and is mounted upon trunnions, e, 6, (see Figs. 2 and 3) in suitable bearings on the timber, A with the open or channel side thereof toward the logways, A and the lower end, 6, thereof extending forward under the sawcarriage,the inner surface of the closed side, 6 thereof operating as a guide for the front edge of the toothbar, D. The upper end of the hell-crank lever, E, is provided with a roller E, mounted between the rearwardly projecting flanges thereof upon a pin, 6 which roller operates to support the rear edge of the tooth-bar, D, so that said tooth-bar, D, may slide vertically in the channel of said bell-crank lever, E, between the inner surface of the front edge, 6 thereof and the roller, E. The tooth-bar, D, is preferably constructed of twoparallel bars, d d, (see Fig. 2) having mounted therebetween folding teeth, (1 adapted to fold backward between the bars, cl cl, as shown in Fig. 1, when the tooth-bar, D, is drawn down into the lever, E. Upon the base timber, A, under the saw-carriage, I place another piston cylinder, F, having therein a piston (not shown) to which a piston-rod, F, is secured. Pivoted between the upper end of the pistonrod, F, and the lower end, 6, of the bellcrank lever, E, is a link, F and upon the front side of the upright-timber, A, I secure suitable slides, G, adapted to support the cross-head, f, on the upper end of the piston-rod, F. The piston cylinder, F, is provided with inlet and exhaust pipes, 0 and c, and valve mechanism, C similar to that which is provided for the cylinder, C. The valve mechanisms, C are provided with suitable valve operating rods, H, and H, extending to such positions as are convenient to the sawyer, by means of which the mecha nisms heretofore described may be operated.

The construction of piston cylinder preferred by me and illustrated in the accompanying drawings is as follows: I construct a base cap, J, having tapped openings in one side thereof to receive the inlet and exhaust pipes, c and c, and into this base cap, J, I screw one end of a suitable length of tubing, according to the length of cylinder required, and on the upper end of said length of tubing I screw another cap, J, having the usual stufling-box mechanism thereon, and through one side of the cap, J, I tap openings to receive inlet and exhaust pipes, c and c. The

advantage of this form of cylinder construction is that without any changes in the construction of the caps, J and J I can provide cylinders of any length desired, and that the space between the exhaust and inlet pipes operates as an air cushion for the piston, G, into which the inlet pipes, 0, open. This construction of cylinder has the added advantage of cheapness of construction.

In operation when it is desired to roll a log from the log-way A onto the carriage, B, the valve-rod, H, is lifted and steam is admitted to the lower end of the cylinder, F, which causes the piston rod, F, to move upward and move the bell-crank lever, E, with the tooth-bar, I), therein to the position thereof shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, and then the valve-rod, H, is raised which admits steam to the lower end of the cylinder, C, and causes the piston-rod C to raise the toothbar, D, upward through the bell-crank lever, E, behind a log on the log-way, A when the steam in the cylinder, F, may be reversed to the upper end thereof and the bell-crank lever, E, with the tooth-bar there in moved back to its position shown by full lines in Fig. 1. It is obvious from the foregoing that the upward and forward move ment of the tooth-bar, D, may be simultaneously accomplished thereby giving to a log being moved a rolling motion.

Having thus described the construction and operation of my improved nigger mechanism so as to enable others to construct and operate the same, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

1. The combination in a log-turner, of a substantially angular shaped channeled tooth-bar guide open at the rear edge thereof, trunnions thereon intermediate of its length mounted in bearings on the millframe, a tooth-bar operating in the toothbar guide, means at the upper rear part of the tooth-bar guide to retain the tooth-bar within the channel therein, piston and piston-rod mechanism connected with the toothbar guide for operating it, and piston and piston-rod mechanism connected with the lower part of the toothbar for operating it, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination in a log-turner of a substantially angular shaped channeled tooth-bar guide the channel thereon opening rearwardly, trunnion bearings thereon at or near the angle therein mounted in bearings on the mill frame, a tooth-bar slidably mounted in the tooth-bar guide, a roller in the upper part of the rear of the upwardly extending end of the tooth-bar guide engaging the rear edge of the tooth-bar to retain it in place in the channel of the tooth-bar guide, cylinder, piston and piston-rod mechanism connected with the laterally extending lower end of the tooth-bar guide, and cylinder, piston, and piston-rod mechanism connected with the lower end of the toothbar, substantially as set forth.

3. In a log-turner, a substantially L- shaped tooth-bar guide having a tooth-bar channel opening rearwardly therein, trunnions thereon near the angle therein, and a tooth-bar guide-roller at the rear upper part thereof, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM M. WILKIN. Witnesses P. V. GIFFoRD, H. M. STURGEON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

